Aokiji looked at the shattered ice, his eyes as calm as a deep pool. He nodded slightly: "The kid with the sword... he's gotten much stronger since we last met."
Before he finished speaking, his figure suddenly vanished!
"Soru!"
Almost at the same instant, Aokiji appeared in front of Zoro, his fist, carrying an icy chill, heading straight for Zoro's face!
Zoro blocked with his three swords crossed, the blades clashing with the ice, producing a harsh clang.
"It's useless~" Aokiji's voice carried a hint of lazy mockery, "Your sword can't cut a Logia-type's true body."
Zoro gritted his teeth and retreated, his three swords weaving an impenetrable defense, yet he could never touch Aokiji's main body. Ice crystals splattered between the blades, and cold air spread along the swords, gradually covering Zoro's arms with a layer of frost.
Aokiji suddenly stopped his offensive, his hands in his pockets, and shook his head: "I thought everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates could use Haki. It seems I was overthinking it."
These words were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Zoro's heart. His eyes were bloodshot, and wado ichimonji, clenched between his teeth, let out a "creak" sound.
"Then I'll play with you a bit."
Aokiji suddenly changed his fighting style, actively dispelling his elemental form. His right fist was covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, striking directly without any fancy moves!
"Bang!"
Zoro hastily raised his swords to block, but the punch numbed his tiger's mouth. Aokiji's assault came like a blizzard, every punch accurately striking the sword blades, forcing Zoro to retreat step by step.
"Too slow, bad!"
"Wrong angle, too bad!"
"Not enough power, bad bad bad!"
Aokiji commented while attacking, not only with physical attacks but also with what felt like magical attacks. Zoro's face turned grim; this was blatant humiliation!
The final spinning kick, his Marine boot covered in Armament Haki, heavily slammed into Zoro's abdomen. Zoro flew backward like a broken kite, crashing through three walls consecutively before stopping, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Aokiji tidied his slightly disheveled coat of justice, his tone indifferent: "An Admiral's strength is not something that can be overcome with just hot blood."
Amidst the smoke and dust,
Zoro supported himself with his sword, trembling as he stood up. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, leaving a dazzling red stain on his sword.
But in his eyes, a never-before-seen fighting spirit burned, sharper and more pressing than ever.
"Armament Haki, huh... It seems I really need to master it...!" Zoro mumbled, his gaze gradually firming.
At this moment, he realized his shortcomings more clearly than ever before.
Suddenly, the ability's prompt sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Detected host's strong will to become stronger!]
[Dream Ability activated special mode: Inception!]
[Inception: Dream training time flow rate changed! Comprehension enhanced!]
[Inception Current Level - First Layer: 1 minute reality = 12 minutes dream]
[Note: Firm will can unlock the next layer!]
Zoro's pupils contracted slightly. It was a time-accelerated dream! Although he could only enter the first layer now, this time difference was already astonishing enough!
And what did this 'comprehension enhanced' mean?
Could it increase my understanding?!
He unhesitatingly turned his head to look at Sanji, who was currently engaging with the Marine grunts.
"Hey, perverted cook!" Zoro's expression was unusually serious for once, "You help me take a beating for a while, I'm going to sleep for ten minutes."
"..."
Sanji elegantly kicked away a Marine soldier, slowly lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, then suddenly looked up and roared:
"You damned Green Algae Head! Can't you ask for help properly?!"
Zoro's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but due to the circumstances, he could only grit his teeth unwillingly: "...Please... take a beating for me."
Sanji: "..."
Sanji was silent for two seconds, then suddenly cleared all the surrounding Marines with a spinning kick. He tugged at his tie and walked towards Zoro: "Remember, you owe me this."
After speaking, he turned to face Aokiji, his right leg igniting with scorching flames: "Hey, Mr. Ice Cube! Your opponent has changed!"
Without another word, Zoro sat down against the shattered wall, his three swords laid across his knees, and instantly fell into a dream.
To others, he looked like he was unsuitably dozing off on the battlefield, but only Zoro knew that in the dream world, he would begin his Armament Haki special training!
He must seize the time to master it!
Aokiji raised an eyebrow, looking at this strange Green Algae Head swordsman: "Sleeping in the middle of a battle?" He shook his head, "These newcomers are getting harder and harder to understand... Do they think they can get stronger by just sleeping? Impractical."
Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp: "Don't underestimate him, Admiral-san." The flames on his right leg burned brighter and brighter, "Before that guy wakes up... I'll keep you company!"
"I'm very good at fighting... uh, very good at taking a beating." Sanji said nonchalantly, with the cigarette in his mouth.
Aokiji was clearly stunned, a rare trace of surprise appearing: "Do you know what you're saying? Actively asking to be beaten?"
Sanji shrugged, spat out the cigarette butt, and walked towards Aokiji with his hands in his pockets: "It doesn't matter~ As long as I can get stronger."
No sooner had he spoken,
Sanji made his move, but Aokiji was faster!
Aokiji's ice fist had already heavily slammed into Sanji's abdomen!
"Bang!"
Sanji's whole body arched like a shrimp, flying backward and collapsing half a wall, but the next second, he shakily stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Cough cough... Again!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Aokiji's eyes. That punch was enough to incapacitate a regular Marine Master Sergeant, but this cook could still stand up?
"Ice Age!"
The biting cold instantly froze Sanji into an ice sculpture, but after only seven or eight seconds, the opponent's leg suddenly burst into flames, and then the ice layer cracked with a "crunch." Sanji shivered all over but still stood: "Is... is that all you've got?"
Aokiji finally became serious. He no longer held back, his Armament-covered fists raining down like drops:
"Bang!"
"Crunch!"
"Boom!"
Every punch landed squarely on Sanji's body, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible, but strangely, this blond cook was like an unkillable cockroach, stubbornly climbing back up every time he fell.
Sanji shakily stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and revealed a roguish smile: "I'm very good at fighting... taking a beating."
"Doesn't matter." Sanji spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, resuming his fighting stance, "Come on, keep going!"
Before he finished speaking, Aokiji's ice fist was already whistling towards him!
Sanji had no time to dodge and could only take the blow with his body.
"Crunch!"
The sound of breaking ribs was clearly audible. Sanji was sent flying, plowing a long mark in the sand, but he gritted his teeth and stood up once more.
"It's not over yet..."
Sanji gasped for breath. Although the pain was excruciating, he was like someone with a 'locked HP' cheat, stubbornly holding on to his last breath.
"Are you even human...?" Aokiji was starting to lose his composure.
....
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